My daughter was born June 17, 2010 and has a large PWS splashed on her upper thigh. I am attaching a photo that was taken the day after she was born. The PWS does blanch with pressure, but her doctor did confirm that it is a PWS. I am thankful that it is not on her face, but I realize that the birthmark will cause other children to make fun of her someday. I'd like to know what steps I need to take to seek treatment. Is her birth mark larger than most PWS's or average? Roughly how much is each laser treatment and how many will she need? How old should she be before starting treatment? We live in West Tennessee. Does anyone know a good doctor in Memphis or Nashville? Is there anything else I should know? I'd appreciate any help you can give me. Thank you!

If you can't find anyone in Tennessee that you're happy with, try looking at Kentucky and Arkansas. But start with your primary pediatrician.. they may know of a local doctor who you'll be happy with.

Laser treatments are pretty individual and no one can really tell you how many treatments it will take. That all depends on what type of laser is used, how aggressive the setting is, how often you get treatment, and how stubborn the pws is.

How old she should be is another individual decision. I know of some babies who start treatment very early. Some wait until school age. I know some adults who have never been treated.

Go ahead and find out how to get your insurance to cover it or, if they won't. Call them and ask your pediatrician's staff to help you. They might already know the answer.

Don't take her out in the sun yet (not that you would, but if you get out shopping or something, make sure her pws is covered up).

And congrats on your new baby!!! I know you must be excited! Is this your first or are there others?

Hello. My son has PWS that stretch from his left toes up to his lower left back. We have been seeing a Specialist since he was born. First of all, you need to see a Dermatology Specialist. They will need to do a doppler ultrasound to make sure there are no underlying problems. They will likely also do an MRI w/ contrast when she gets older. This is the best test to rule out KTS. Either way, you need to make sure there are not other issues than just the PWS. My son is 6 months old. He had his ultrasound when he was 2 months and then his MRI when he was 5 1/2 months. All test have come back normal and he is now going to start laser treatment. Our Specialist said it is best to wait until the child is 6 months. The earlier laser treatments are started, the better the results will be. HOWEVER, not everyone responds well to laser treatments. If you would like to discuss more, you can email me at mbaker43026@yahoo.com. I keep in touch with some other moms on here. It helps to have others to talk to.

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